Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
RYAN
Micky wasn’t as annoyed as I expected when I’d blown him off. Between waking up spooning Nate and the man in my arms being uncomfortable joining me for the meeting and the appearance my agent had organized today, canceling was a no-brainer.
I didn’t want Nate hating his last full day in the US, and honestly, the appearance was more for Micky parading his pro basketball player. It wasn’t a sponsorship or anything, which I still avoided like the plague.
Micky was a good agent, especially how he left me alone and allowed me to fly under the radar. And at the club, I knew he’d been making a point, reminding me we needed to talk about the end of next season and my plans.
I just wasn’t ready to think that far ahead.
“You sure you won’t get into shit?”
Nate was tucked into my side, his one leg resting on my thighs, as he stroked the skin on my chest. With every sweep of his hand, goose bumps popped up.
I angled over and pressed a kiss against his head, sure this level of comfort should feel strange.
That was so far from the familiarity I felt at being so close to Nate, though.
His scent mixed with my shower gel, reaching my nose, and I took a deep inhale before answering him. “Don’t sweat it, honest. Micky expected me to cancel. He knows I’m heading back to Brisbane, so I have shit to organize.”
Admittedly, all that was really needed was to pack my case and touch base with Joan, a local woman who kept up with housekeeping and stuff for me.
Nate peered up at me, his gaze assessing.
After a beat, he nodded, his smile flirty.
“In that case, what’s the plan for the day?
” I shifted a little, making Nate grumble as I dislodged him.
He soon stopped when he realized I was scooting down to get face-to-face with him.
“Breakfast. Then I thought we could take a drive. There are a couple more places I want you to see while you’re here. ”
I refused to think about what came after my visit back home, choosing to focus on the present and the man who I still couldn’t quite believe was in my arms.
That smile of his morphed before he asked, “You’re going to feed me?”
My brows clipped low. “Isn’t that what I just said?”
That same smile remained, and my heart flipped over when I got an inkling of what his smile meant. How he managed to tease and flirt and capture unspoken promises in a single smile was beyond me. There wasn’t a chance I’d question it, though.
“You want me to feed you something other than breakfast?” I barely recognized my voice. It was low and gravelly with awakening need.
“I wouldn’t say no to an extra hit of protein this morning.” His lips twitched, amusement brightening him.
My laughter was abrupt and felt so incredible that we could do this. Be together this way.
“Protein, huh?” I managed around a huge smirk. “As long as I get a shot of the good stuff, I’m more than up for this plan.”
My whole body vibrated, so fucking happy and horny. I shifted slowly, stopping abruptly when Nate snagged hold of my arm. “What?”
Wide-eyed, he sat quickly, almost head-butting me with his urgency. Confusion had me frowning. And then he was at my side, shifting further still, so he was behind me. Silently, a tentative finger touched my shoulder blade, and I closed my eyes, realizing what he’d discovered.
“Is this—?” His question cut off with a hitch of his breath.
Angling my head so I could see him, I let my gaze roam his face, searching for his reaction. “A griffin,” I said quietly, his fingers still tracing the colored ink I’d had in memory of the man who I’d never been able to forget.
“Holy shit,” he said breathily. “Is this…” He swallowed hard, his eyes flashing to mine. “Is this for me?”
I bobbed my head once.
“I didn’t know. How didn’t I know you had tattoos?”
“I never get photographed with my shirt off. I got that one just last year, and this and the others have always been hidden beneath clothes.”
Nate’s brows almost touched his hairline. “And it was for me?”
I understood his confusion. Back then, we weren’t in touch. “You, a memory of you, was worth marking my skin for,” I answered honestly.
Emotion shimmered in his eyes. “It’s beautiful.
” When he leaned down and kissed my tattoo, my heart went wild in my chest. When he lifted back up, he smiled at me, all sweet and gentle.
“I think there’s only one way to show you how seeing this, knowing it’s for me, makes me feel.
” The huskiness in his voice took an all-time depth.
I turned, snagging him with an arm and tugging him close.
Nate then proceeded to blow my mind, and I held on to every second of these moments I could, knowing they couldn’t last forever.
When I’d been scouted for college, my life had changed, incredibly so, but this, what we were doing, how we were connecting, fuck if I didn’t see a whole new possible future laid out before me.
So much for living in the present.
The nerves swarming me felt different from when I’d collected Nate from the airport.
They were less intense, but sweat still covered my palms as we entered Black Mountain.
While I’d never visited the house I’d bought for my gran and sister, I’d seen the photos and knew the small area well enough that in probably less than a minute, I’d be seeing my family.
“You okay?” Nate hadn’t let go of my hand the whole drive from Brisbane airport. He accepted my palm with a smile after we’d left the parking lot and had offered the physical comfort the entire journey.
“Yeah,” I answered, fully aware our joined hands were hot and damp. Like the good guy he was, though, he didn’t mention it.
“I know I should have perhaps asked earlier,” he said, drawing my attention away from the gum trees.
The familiarity of them made me smile. “But how do you want to play this, with me, with your family?” Nate clamped his mouth shut, and I thought he had more to say.
But that one question alone was one hell of a start.
The truth was, I’d considered this periodically on our flight and the drive home. Refusing him in any way would be a shit of a move, but that didn’t prevent the lump from forming in my throat.
“Hey.” The squeeze of my hand pulled my attention to Nate. “We can do whatever you want, okay?”
I cut a glance to him. Nothing but sincerity filled his expression before he flicked his focus back to the road. Nate was too fucking good for me. It hadn’t just been the last week I’d figured that out, but his understanding cemented that knowledge.
Before I could answer and unjumble my brain, Nate said, “We’re here.”
The Park brake wasn’t even engaged before the fly-screen door was opening. Nate’s words floated over me, my ability to hear hampered by the heavy thud of my pulse.
Gran stood in the doorway, her gaze unyielding.
My breath caught as I took in the wrinkles around her eyes, her laughter lines deep around her mouth.
And then I was out of the car and in her arms. The strength of her hug drew my smile.
Despite her years and the time I’d wasted keeping my distance, she could still make me feel safe and loved just by the magic of her hugs.
“Boy,” she said close to my ear, “never again, you hear.”
I nodded against her neck, stooped over but not willing to break the connection just yet.
“You think about keeping your distance again, you’ll find me on your doorstep or in the middle of a blasted ball game, getting ready to tan your hide and drag your butt back home. Got it?”
I snorted out a laugh, basking in the warmth of her tone and the fresh squeeze she gave me before she eased away.
I peered down at her. She looked healthy and strong, much more than I’d expected.
While we’d spoken on video calls, even more so over the past five months, I hadn’t quite believed she was getting better from her fall and her dizzy spells.
“You look good, Gran.”
She quirked her brow at me. “Of course I do. You’re lucky you’ve got my genes so you don’t look like you’ve been beaten with the ugly stick.”
“Gee, Gran, say it how it is.”
Nate’s warm voice at my side startled me, and goose bumps broke out on my flesh. Just hours ago before we left for the airport, his voice had sounded so much gruffer when I’d sucked him off. I cleared my throat, trying to shake the visual before looking at him.
“Come here and give me a hug. You get an extra brownie tonight since you brought the wanderer home.”
I smiled as Nate hugged Gran before the sound of the screen door caught my attention.
Like a punch to the gut, I struggled to take a breath again. It didn’t matter how many photos or video calls we made. Nothing could have prepared me for the tight squeeze of my heart at seeing my sister all grown. And a mom to boot.
Ivy was on Amber’s hip. With the sun shining down on what looked like whisper-soft hair, Ivy all but glowed. My heart melted in an instant, and I couldn’t take my eyes off my niece.
Finally in front of my sister, I refocused on her. “Hey,” I offered lamely.
Amber’s bright eyes, the same shade as my own, raked over me. “You look older in the flesh,” she deadpanned, “more haggard.” Her lips twitched.
I took her sass and that one tell as all the invitation I needed.
I angled around to hug her without squashing Ivy, who wriggled between us, babbling.
I grinned at the sound and eased back, staring at the pretty baby in my sister’s arms. Curiosity filled her eyes, and my heart stuttered. “She looks so much like you.”
“Thank God, right.” Amber tickled her daughter under the chin. A giggle of delight followed.
“And where’s my little hoodlum?” The sound of Nate at my side eased muscles I hadn’t realized had tensed. I wasn’t the only one affected by him. Ivy’s head whipped in Nate’s direction, and she all but lurched out of my sister’s arms to get to him.
I smirked and held back my chuckle. Me too, kid. I totally understand the draw.